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LONDON (AP) -- David Beckham arrived in London for an awards ceremony with a new hairstyle and the same ambition: He still wants to play for England.
"I've always wanted to play for my country since I was a young boy and that has never changed," Beckham said after being honored at the Sport Industry Awards on Thursday night.
Beckham was dropped after the 2006 World Cup by England coach Steve McClaren but the 31-year-old midfielder remains available.
"I'll always have that passion. Whether I do (play) or not we'll see," Beckham said. "I'd like to think you'll see me back in an England shirt."
Beckham has been sidelined from Real Madrid with a knee injury since early March and will move to Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy in July.
"I didn't want another challenge at the end of my career, I wanted to go where I felt I could make a difference," he said. "That will be my ambition out there. It won't just be the playing side but the ambassador role for football in the MLS and around the world."
Beckham said he should be fit for Madrid in two weeks and expressed disappointment at the team's record since he joined the club in 2003.
"It is a surprise Real Madrid haven't won anything," Beckham said. "They have had some of the best players in the world, especially during my first year there. There was Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Raul and so many more."
Beckham's hairstyle, always a popular topic of conversation in England, made a splash in Friday's newspapers and television broadcasts.
When Beckham arrived at the ceremony, his hair was combed flat with short back and sides. Four hours later, when France striker Thierry Henry handed him an award for outstanding contribution to British sport, Beckham's hair was combed up at the front.
Beckham started at Manchester United with a traditional center part, but subsequent styles have included shoulder length hair, a shaved head and a mohawk.
Source: Sports IllustratedAll rights reserved.